Centre of the Universe
by Tarantula
Summary: Set after The Name of The Doctor. The Doctor decides to takes Clara on a small trip and things are revealed. Minor Whouffle. ONE SHOT.


To say she was excited was an understatement. Clara leaned against the railing bar anxiously as The Doctor ran around the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers. He grinned at her, his face alight with childish excitement, causing her to giggle.

'Why won't you tell me where we're going?' asked Clara, walking up to the console and ran her hand along it, receiving a grudgingly affectionate noise from the TARDIS. She looked up at the centrepiece, smiling at it perhaps a bit too smugly.

The TARDIS was finally warming up to her. Maybe it knew what had happened at Trenzalore? Perhaps The Doctor had mentioned it during one of his many one-sided conversations with the machine.

The Doctor hadn't mentioned what had happened at Trenzalore at all since they escaped his personal Timeline- not to Clara anyway. She wanted to ask him about the other man- the other "Him". The "Him" who was not "The Doctor" but she couldn't bring herself to do it. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her.

It was getting to the point where she was used to not knowing certain things about the man standing in front of her and yet, in theory, she knew almost everything about him. Every now and then the memories of her other lives would come to her in her dreams.

She could remember telling The First Doctor to steal the very TARDIS they were standing in (maybe the TARDIS was now aware of this too) and trying to save The Fifth Doctor in The Caves of Androzani but failing, resulting in his regeneration into the Sixth Doctor.

'Because it wouldn't be a surprise if you knew!' he replied, walking round to her and patting her on the top of her head. 'Takes away the fun!' he grinned and pulled one final lever and the sound of the TARDIS landing echoed all around them.

Clara looked straight at the doors and then at The Doctor, who nodded. She grinned and ran towards the doors and pulled them open. They had landed in a building- a very large building by the looks of it. She stepped out onto the dark blue carpet flooring and looked around. The walls, which were at least fifty feet in height, were made out of metal and decorated in drawings of stars and planets.

The Doctor stepped out, smiling. 'Welcome to Alexias, the biggest intergalactic Planetarium in the universe.'

Clara looked up at the glass ceiling and to her amazement, saw a thousand stars suspended above her. She looked at The Doctor, who was watching her reaction.

'So what do you think?' he asked.

She looked back up, feeling tears prickle her eyes. Her mum would have loved to see such a sight.

'Why here?' she asked, attempting to blink away her tears and failing. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks and looked at The Doctor expectantly.

'Oswin wanted to see the stars,' he answered, looking uncomfortable. 'And I never got to take her…'

'Rescue me Chin Boy and show me the stars,' she felt the words escape her lips before she could stop them and The Doctor' eyebrows went up, his lips tightening.

'Yes,' he said after a moment's hesitation. 'Shall we go?' he offered her his arm and she took it.

The Doctor led her through the building, pointing at the different things on display from original space ship models to the more recent ones. There were different levels to the building, each one focusing on a certain topic. It turned out the building was so big that it was physically impossible to get through in one day.

'The building has a hotel and everything,' The Doctor explained as they walked up the grand staircase.

'So it's a tourist attraction, yeah?' said Clara and The Doctor nodded. 'So where is everyone?'

The Doctor looked at each watch. 'Still in bed. It's four in the morning. I figured we could have it to ourselves for a bit.'

Clara squeezed The Doctor's arm. 'Oh, Doctor. You do know how to make a girl feel special.'

'Yes…well-' he stopped, looking at a loss for words. 'I owe you. All of you.'

She smiled. 'You don't owe me anything.'

'You saved me,' he reminded her.

'And you've saved me. I think we're about even,' she replied quickly.

The Doctor scratched the side of his face with his free hand, looking lost and led her into a tunnel, small red lights on the floor directing them through the darkness. They followed the lights into the theatre of the Planetarium. Clara gasped at the sheer size of it. She was sure it could fit in well over five thousand people.

'Oh my stars,' she breathed.

The Doctor laughed and ran down into the centre of the room. Clara followed him and he pulled out his Sonic, pointing it at the equipment. They came to life and lights shot up towards the ceiling.

Clara turned, looking up and saw the universe displayed before her. The Doctor continued to Sonic the machine and suddenly-

She was surrounded by stars. She giggled, looking all around her. The Doctor had made the picture on the ceiling into a 3D image. There were supernovas and black holes and planets, all around her. She was in the centre of the universe.

She reached out to touch a comet as it flew past, only for it to pass through her hand. She giggled nervously, tears threatening to fall down her face again.

She turned to The Doctor, who was observing his handy work proudly. He looked at Clara now, his eyes full of warmth.

'It's beautiful,' she told him. 'Is this how you see the world?'

He stepped forward, holding her hand. 'This is how I see you, Clara,' he kissed her hand. 'The centre of the universe.'

Her eyes softened. 'I don't think River would be happy to hear that.'

'You know what I mean,' he said. 'You were always there. Always. From the day I started running. If it wasn't for you, Clara, the universe wouldn't be here.'

'I can say the same about you,' she replied. 'So here we are. The centre of the universe.'

The Doctor smiled. 'Yes. I suppose we are.'

'You've been very careful where we go,' she pointed out. 'A zoo in New York? A Beatles Concert and now this place…it feels like you're worried about something.'

The Doctor looked ashamed now. 'Clara,' he began and stopped, looking down at his feet. 'When I first found you I wanted to know who and what you were. You were impossible. You're still impossible. But I always thought that there might be the chance that there might be even more of you.'

She swallowed. 'If I died again?' she asked and he nodded. 'So you didn't care if I died before?'

'No!' he looked worried. 'Of course not! But now I know that if anything were to happen to you that it would be…_it_.'

'I went through your entire timeline, Doctor. My copies. I went from the end of your time all the way to the start. Even if something were to happen to me-' she paused, taking a deep breath. 'Even if something were to happen to me, you could always find one of my copies and take them with you.'

He shook his head. 'But they wouldn't be _you_, Clara.'

'They'd be a part of me.'

'But not all of you. You, Clara, no one else.'

Now she smiled. 'You say that now, Doctor. But one day you'll replace me. Some of cute brunet will come along and you'll forget all about me.'

He held her face now, looking directly into her eyes. 'I never forget, Clara. I remember them all. Susan, Barbara, Sarah Jane, Tegan, Peri, Rose, Amy and that's just to name a few.'

'OK. Now you're really not making me feel that important,' she told him.

'But you are. You all are. You are my Impossible Girl! My Clara and you will always be important to me. Always.'

She didn't know what to say to this and settled for just staring at him, waiting for him to continue. He smiled and kissed her hand again before looking back up at the 3D hologram of the universe.

'Do you remember your other lives?' asked The Doctor.

'Bits and pieces. Some of my copies are quite adventurous,' she smirked at him. 'Although from what I can gather not as adventurous as you and Professor Song.'

The Doctor went bright red. 'Clara! Please!'

Clara laughed and threw her arms around The Doctor, surprising him at first but he returned the hug, holding her tightly against him. Clara smiled to herself, silently wishing that this moment could go on forever.

The both of them, The Doctor and Clara Oswald, hugging in the centre of the universe.

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